Albay folk grapple with Mayon ashfall
CAMALIG, ALBAY—At least 30,000 residents in Albay province were affected by ashfall on Monday following Mayon Volcano’s largest pyroclastic density current (PDC) since the start of its unrest this year.
In Camalig town, Mayor Carlos Irwin Baldo Jr. said the ashfall blanketed more than 36 villages, including the town center, creating poor road visibility that hampered motorists.
“In the past few days, ashfall was limited to villages near the Mayon slopes, but this time it reached the poblacion area,” Baldo told the Inquirer.
Residents in 13 villages in Guinobatan were also advised to take precautions and wear masks to avoid inhaling volcanic ash, while some residents in Pio Duran reported lighter ashfall in their areas.
The Department of Health in Bicol reminded the public to keep windows and doors closed and cover their nose and mouth to reduce respiratory risks.
According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), volcanic ash is composed of fine rock fragments.
Work suspension
Bicol University ordered early dismissal of work on Monday afternoon across its campuses in Legazpi City, Daraga, Guinobatan and Tabaco City, to protect staff and students, particularly those traveling through the third district of Albay.
Paul Karson Alanis, resident volcanologist at the Ligñon Hill Mayon Observatory of Phivolcs, said on Monday that the PDC produced a “thicker” ashfall compared to previous events in recent weeks.
“Before, it was just thin dust, falling slowly,” Alanis said. “Now it’s heavier, and the ashfall is much thicker.”
The PDC, triggered by lava flow down the Mi-isi gully in Daraga town, generated a towering brownish ash plume reaching about 1 kilometer high and drifting southwest from the volcano.
In the latest 24-hour monitoring, Phivolcs recorded eight volcanic earthquakes, 49 rockfall events and 43 PDCs.
According to Phivolcs, Mayon has been undergoing an effusive eruption since last month, generating glowing lava flows.
Earlier in January, a total of 1,135 families—or 4,037 individuals—were evacuated from the 6-km-radius permanent danger zone in the towns of Malilipot, Daraga, Camalig, Guinobatan and the cities of Ligao and Tabaco. Ma. Antonia Bornas, chief of the Volcano Monitoring and Eruption Prediction Division of Phivolcs, said no explosion occurred at Mayon. She said the heavy ash emission was attributed to the large volume of lava flow that caused the collapse of the lava dome.
